(Warning: domestic violence and gore, also it is very long)
_“This can’t be happening, not today anyway._” Dom thinks as she walks into the city square. She tightly grips her younger brother's hand, as they walk into the town square. The town square isn’t normal, one with markets, where festivals take place, it is a place of death; it is where witches get burned.
The square stings of smoke, even if it has been months since the last burning. Smoke has stained the brink pathway, and the stage where the burnings happen looks like it is about to collapse—the square wrecks of death, with the scent of burned hair and flesh.
Dom can sense who will be burned, it is her mother. Her mind is fogged with all the memories of her mother, all of which only feel like a dream now. She has never thought of her mom as a witch, as she walks up to the stake, she doesn’t even think of the implications. This is her mom, and her mom is going to die.
Her younger brother, Unis, will never remember this, nor does he know who the woman, who stands tied to a stake is, She was taken away from him when he was a toddler, he is now nine years old. Only Dom lives with the burden of remembering the day, their mother was taken from them.
_Dom was only fourteen, hiding in her bedroom with Unis. She held onto Unis as she heard the clashing of glasses, screams, and yells from her father. Her father finally learned the truth about her mother. _
_ She was a witch, a true witch, not the made-up kind._
_ Dom had always thought witches were fake, but finally, it all made sense. The way flowers, which were practically extinct in the kingdom of Avalon, grew only on our land. The way they had been rich from it. This was when Dom was introduced to the real world. This was the moment she became an adult._
_ She had tried not to listen to the words her father was spewing, but it was hard to ignore your father disowning you, all because you're a witch's child. At that moment, she put her crying brother back into the crib and opened the door. _
_She was so confident in protecting her mother, thinking that maybe she could talk sense into her father even if it was only for a second, but when, she looked out into the hallway where her father and mother stood, her father suddenly wasn’t her father, he was just a person, an awful person. It was the way he stood with a tall and powerful stance. A broken bottle held in his hand with blood dripping from it._
_Her father was once a kind and loving man, she loved him, and he loved her, but her view of the man who played with her, read her stories, and took her places had changed. He was now just a man who was hurting her mother, a man with hot, angry tears running down his face._
_“Stop!” Dom heard from the entrance of her house. The sound of the door being knocked down echoed through the house. It was her neighbor, who luckily heard the commotion and alerted the guards. Now the guards were restraining the man as he yelled, “She’s a witch, she is a witch, she is evil, and her children are evil as well! Kill her!” The guards didn’t react to his words. They probably didn’t hear him over the guards yelling._
_Dom gently closed the door and ran back into her room, she pulled Unis out of his crib and hid in the closet, convinced that guards would kill her because she was a witch's child. Her brother cried loudly._
_“Shhh, Unis, Shhh, I love you unis, shhh.” She panicked as the crying continued. “Be quiet, just shut up!” she whispered and yelled. She was immediately filled with regret, how could she be mad at the little tiny child when there was a man who beat her mother within an inch of her life? _
_She cries into her little brother, using him to cover the sound of her tears. He finally went quiet. At the perfect time too, when their bedroom door started to open, the sounds from outside her room stopped, “It’s okay to come out,” Her mother called. Dom emerged from the closet and she examined her mother, who had blood flowing from her temple and nose. _
_Her mother kisses little Unis on the cheek and leans into Dom’s ear, “I’m being taken away, please take care of Unis.” _
_“Mum please-” tears stream down Dom’s face, unable to believe what she is hearing. _
_“I have to go, just please take care of Unis. I love you.” She hugs Dom, silently crying into her, trying to be strong for her last moment with her kids. A guard enters the room and pulls Dom’s mother away from her. Dom stares blankly as her mom is ripped away from her. Her heart racing but her body still. _
_Through the window, she can hear the man, who she once called her father, yelling again. Dom stood crying Unis in her arms, still, her mother was gone. Her father was gone. All in one day. The whole event repeated in her mind. The bloody bottle in her father’s hand, her mom with the blood dripping from her face. All of it repeated and repeated, spinning in her mind like a carousel._
Dom's mother stands tied to the burning stake, Dom stands close, thinking that she would want to see her mom up close for one last time. If only she knew how wrong she would be. She didn’t even think about how six years in prison had treated her mom. Her cheeks look sunken in, and her ribs and spine are shown even with the ratty clothing covering them. Her eyes were closed as if she was dead already.
Her vision of her Mom crumbled, when she had last seen her she had a full figure, not a ghost of one. But she could still tell who she was by the distinct light patches over her dark skin, just like Dom had. She thinks of her light patches as what she has left of her mom.
A big lump in her throat has formed, this is the last day her mom has in this world, and she wouldn’t even get a goodbye from her daughter. Only one thing remains in her mind, the betrayal her mother must be feeling, not even a goodbye, maybe she thinks Dom forgot about her. And how does she believe Unis is doing, what if she feels that she gave Unis away? A few tears stream down her face.
She steps closer to the stage, tempted to say one last thing. “Mom..” she whimpered quietly, her hand covering her mouth, “I-”
“What’s going on?” Dom feels a small tug on her shirt. Unis stood tears streaming down his face.
A major rule of the burning was to stay still and quiet. People have been beaten for crying. Dom can imagine herself being one of those people. As her mom is burned she is sure to shed a few tears. She is more scared for Unis than she is herself. Would he be able to handle being beaten by a guard? He’s so young and sensitive, that even without the knowledge that this woman is his mom, he is sure to be choking on tears by the end, especially if he’s already upset.
She kneels to his level, “ I need you to be quiet, don’t cry, just hold my hand, or hug me, just stay quiet okay.”
“Okay.” He pauses, “Why?”
“You’ll be in trouble, big trouble.” Dom realizes that her brother's definition of trouble is much different from the guard's version. “The guards aren’t as nice as me.”
“Why?” He looks up at Dom, his childish eyes staring up at her, she can’t possibly tell the truth to him;
Dom purses her lips, “Some people just aren’t nice,”
“I’m nice,” He smiles, so proud of himself.
“Ya, you're _really _nice.” A secret fear she had was him becoming like everyone else: bitter, cruel, and hopeless. She wished for him always to have the same childhood innocence that would shelter him.
“We gather here today to celebrate, relieving the world of evil!” Lord Avalon, the emperor of Avalonia, yelled into the crowd. He stood on the stage inches away from Dom’s face. Unis leans closer to Dom and clutches her hand tighter. His eyes are closed,
Lord Avalon stands in a powerful stance, His head hangs high, looking straight into the crowd. He wears a mask over his face, that only shows his mouth to be seen. The mask was giant with horns that points towards the sky. And his smile, made Dom’s skin crawl, same with the way he acted like it was a celebration to kill a person.
He backs up, showing Dom’s mother he holds a lit torch in his hand. Dom covers Unis’ already closed eyes.
When her other goes up in flames, she looks down at her brother, trying to stay strong for him. He should learn from her to be strong, he _has_ to learn that to survive. But even so, Dom hates the idea of her brother learning how the world works; her brother is the embodiment of innocence she wished she didn’t have to give up so early.
“Please!” She hears her mother cry from within the flames. Dom looks up, it has been so long since she had heard her mother’s voice. She chokes back tears.
“_Don’t cry, Don’t cry,” _She pleas to herself.
“Mom…?” She pats Unis’ head trying to signal for him to be quiet, “Mom, I want to go home.” She broke down hearing Unis call her Mom, when his real Mom stood at the burning stake. Dom had almost forgotten about the lie she had kept up for years, she was to him, his mom. She wants to keep it that way.
“Shh Unis, Shh, “ She pulls him into a hug, as tears ran down her cheeks, mixed with guilt and sadness. Then nothing, it’s like the world slowed down, the tears stopped pouring, and her heart stopped racing. She stared at the fire, her mother has been engulfed and couldn’t be seen. In other words, she is finally dead, no longer feeling the burning pain. Dom knew her mom was dead, somehow. She could just feel it.
Once the fire calms down, Lord Avalon stands before the flames. “Use this witch as a lesson, to avoid the evils in this world. For if you choose evil this shall be your fate, a fire, with you in the center, where you get stared at as the flames engulf you.”
“Magic destroys families, relationships, everything, you wouldn’t want that to happen to you, would you? This witch, _it_ had a family, two kids, and a good home, all of which were lost.”
Dom tries to hide herself, even if no one knows she is the witch’s family. But maybe Lord Avalon knows she is here. Dom starts to spiral going through all the possibilities, she had never heard Lord Avalon describe the witch before they were arrested, so there must be a reason, doesn’t there?
“Those two kids are orphans now, do you want that for your kids?” “Maybe this is just a way to guilt people,” Dom thinks. “Or it’s a warning.” “Imagine the kids, parents ripped away from them, while they are only young, forced to grow up too fast.” Dom felt her ears and cheeks turning red. Lord Avalon was wrong about one thing, Unis wasn’t forced to grow up. Dom was, he wasn’t. How could he? He is only nine, and in his world, he has a Mom, a home, and friends. But Dom is twenty and has lied about her age since she was sixteen. It worked because she looked older from the stress. She used to consider it a compliment, but now it feels awful. She is older than her years, much older. “Leave this place, and remember the dangers, magic holds.” How could she forget the dangers magic holds, when magic killed her mom? Liar
Your sick. “No, I’m not.”
Stop lying to yourself . “I’m not sick though.”
Your sick like your stomach says. “My stomach is a liar.”
Trust in your senses, they’re there to help. Why would they lie to you? “I don’t know why they lie.”
If they are such liars, how are you in pain? “I don’t know.”
How do fake senses cause pain? “They don’t.”
You see my ways now so, go to the bathroom “Hide myself.”
If you get sick and anyone sees your life is over “It will be, my life will be ruined,”
Finished, over, might as well make your own grave now. “STOP. I KNOW IM FINE, YOU ALWAYS DO THIS, I KNOW THE TRICKS, SO STOP.”
But your sick. “No I’m not”
(This is not the full story, I’m currently drafting the full story write now)
Chapter One We arrive in the center of the kingdom square for our “Mission” as the Emperor, Lord Avalon likes to call it, when really a public execution is held every once in a while, when he senses unrest in our kingdom. We file into the lines, the lines of separation, the poor could never stand next to the wealthy, that would be silly. We have to check ourselves in to find out where we stand in order to watch the flames erupt. Usually the poor stood in the back, as far away as possible from the rich, but this time was different: “Name, age, church, class?” The check-in guard said. He has a slight country accent. “Unis Waldorf Sinclair, age 16, church of Ava, working class” He cracks a smile, at what, I’ll never know. Maybe the name of the church of Ava, it is such a idiotic name for the king’s church, you could tell he ran out of ideas so he just crossed out most of his name. As the guard flipped through the books of names, I imagined punching until all of his teeth were knocked out. Everything about him is an annoyance, it’s probably his bright yellow teeth that hung out of his mouth, and the way he wore his guard uniform with it so uneat, like the emperor wouldn’t kill you for being a mockery of the guards. “You have a sister?” I nod my head as Dom inches her way towards his table. I could see the fear in her eyes by the way they were just slightly glazed over. “Information?” He’s obviously impatient and wants to get his day over with and do whatever it is guards do; illegal smoking, illegally drinking alcohol. What could get the lower class in trouble would only give them a mere slap on the wrist to him. Dom repeats the exact same information I gave him, just different names. “You both are in section one nearest to the stake.” I sigh in unison with Dom. We both dread these events and the fact we are so closer doesn’t help. And what makes it sadder, is I always know who stands in front of the crowd, burning, it is almost always people from Devil’s Row, where we live. Dom and I were assigned specifically to the first row, with no more than a few feet of space from the burning This is how the Lord establishes fear. I think lord Avalon had a realization of how the rich watch for sport, cheering on the fire as it feasts upon the sad, probably falsely accused witch. It’s disgusting. I could never say that magic isn't bad, but knowing that when you get reported for witchcraft there is barely any fact checking, it’s hard to find the event enjoyable. When Lord Avalon comes out, I have to crane my neck as he waltzes out onto stage, with his guards, ready to give a speech on how wrong the witch is, and how they deserve death, like always. When he is on top of the stage I could touch his heeled shoes if I wanted to. I didn’t but I could, I don't feel like dying today. “I demand silence for this, total silence.” Lord Avalon is short, not the height you could expect from a terrifying overlord of the Avalonian Kingdom, but the clothes on his back added to his intimidating figure. He wore a garb with the Avalonian symbol on his back, he also wore a mask that covered everything but his mouth, and his mouth wasn't covered to show his everlasting smile. Every picture and portrait of him was him smiling. And everytime I saw him talk, all he did was smile. He knew it was intimidating. “Before we bring out the filth, I need to remind all of you that what we do here is important. We do this to save you, to keep the evil away from whom you may love. Magic of any sort whether it be to heal someone or to hurt someone, is rooted in the evil inside of them. Remember that today, and you will surely be safe from wickedness consuming you.” He motions the guards to take the witch up to the stage. It’s a woman, younger, I think. She is practically torn apart, bruises and blood everywhere, and her malnourishment is well shown with how skinny she is; Practically a fossil of the woman she once was, you could easily count her ribs and even the bones in her arms. Around her wrists you could tell rope had been tightly tied to her. A guard hands Lord Avalon a large torch, one to drop on the wood that surrounds the stake. It was an awful scene, it sent chills down my spine. The way the rope attached her to the stake, and the way her head hung low. I can’t tell if she’s already dead, if she’s asleep, or if she has given up fighting for herself. “May this fire symbolize my undying oath to protect the kingdom from these magic-ridden monsters, and may it be remembered for the sacrifices I made for this kingdom.” He releases the flame to feast upon the woman’s body. Smoke fills the air and blasts directly into my face. It burns so` much. This is why I’ve never understood the rich’s obsession with seeing the flames up close. She wakes up as soon as the fire spreads to her tangled hair. She looks into the crowd, searching for a kind face to help her, she finds Dom and I. The only children in the section she faces. “Please help me, please!” Her screams gargle, and are barely intelligible. Dom digs her head into her hands, but I can only stare, I can’t take my eyes off of her. If I say anything to her I will die, if I do anything, even if it’s berating her, I will die. Anything but silent means you support witchcraft, in Lord Avalon’s eyes. “Please! I need to live, I have children!” Behind her eyes, is her whole life, she’s watching it burn with her. I can only imagine the children, seeing what’s left of their mother burn to the ground. I look over at Dom, who has tears rolling down her face. Her silent cry sent me into a state of fear. More than I was already. I don’t risk giving Dom comforting whispers, I can’t with Lord Avalon standing 7 feet away from me. But I can move my arm into a slight hug without getting in trouble, so that’s what I do. She yells many unintelligible things, begging for help from the kingdom that was supposed to fight for the citizens. I stare down until the witch gives up her battle to stay alive, audience. When I look at her burned face, her face looks almost melted off. It must be an awful way to die, you feel everything, you choke on smoke until it kills you, or the fire gets to you first and chars your body. I can imagine myself in this situation, the burns, the pain, makes me feel sick thinking of it. When her body stands motionless on the stake, Lord Avalon stands in front of the ever burning flames. “Let this be a lesson to all of the unfound witches, to repent and throw away the devilish ways of witchcraft. Now would anyone in the audience like to out any witches they know, the flames still burn on, there is still time.” A hand flew out, which isn’t a lot out of the devoted 15000 that stood in the audience. A larger grin carves its way onto Lord Avalon’s face, an awful, disgusting grin. “Give me the names and we shall schedule the next burning.” A man in the front of the wealthy section a few hundred yards away yells a couple names. “Mary Jane, Irene Clair, Olin Credge.” A few painful gasps pierce the air, and chatter explodes through the audience. All talking about those few people who had their fates decided for them. All talking about how two of the names were children. It’s a game to the wealthy. Witches aren’t human, just a mere show. They don’t care if it’s a child or half dead elder, or anything in between, they want to see the fear, and their entertainment. Children in the kingdom are the most beloved, the only thing people will fight for in this land of complete control. Only the super wealthy would allow a child, or devil’s child, as they like to call them, to be captured because of their accusations. “Settle down! Or there will be consequences!” The guard’s booming voices and crossbows hanging above the crowd, silences them, “Anyone who talks will never be allowed to talk again!” Lord Avalon’s smile still clings to his face despite his guard’s threats towards the people. “Let this day ring in your mind, for if you take the ways of the witch as your own you shall perish!”
Gotta remind you all of the fears Can't let you go. must hold on to you tight. Try and persuade something isn't right.
Cower in the bathroom You're not doing all right You 're sick just like I said I'm just trying to save you Don’t you understand? You dont want to get sick Do you?
Sanitize you hands Don't eat your food. Food will get you sick I hope you remember.
As you tremble Remember why I’m here I’m here so you can rest easy Knowing that I will warn you
When you fear It only gets worse I will pester Until It Goes My Way
The memories carved into the dirt path of a hiking trail. Each hiker, Animal, Truck, Remembered with the tracks soon to be washed away
The things our water has seen. The hiking trail, Dinosaurs, Humans, Water has seen everything from the sewer systems To The inside of trees.
The trees are always dancing When the water trickles onto their leaves . When the people carve their names into the trunk. The trees dance when the wind blows, Allowing the wind to control the dance.
The Wind talks, Not about much of anything. It talks when it snows rains, It talks a storm. Wind likes to scare people Opening doors It thinks its funny To whisper When humans are around.
Born with a destiny A fate decided too quickly Without even a chance to outside air Practically born a robot With one goal; one purpose: Fight for the country that made you
Sure, I’m strong Fast But I’m a cog in a machine Much like my mother father grandma grandpa
I’m surprised there are no expiration dates on our lives. But then again our lives aren’t our’s to own.
A life to me Is flawed Make mistakes Find what you love Do what you love
A human should be flawed Should be able to have a destiny That they made Humans live, but I don’t. So I’m not human
We are barely living Our lives would probably seem perfect Compared to the ancient times Where people were free But with a destiny Already decided Living is a lie.
A little boy Short and Scrawny Hair as red as fire. Like my brother. A sweet crooked smile A contagious laugh
This little boy Went by many names Jeven Keven Gremlin Even Shmeven All of which weren’t this little boy’s name
The way he could change the mood of a room The way he could ignite a trail laughter The way he loved and laughed. The way he twirled.
The sharpie tattoo I wrote on his shoulder The way his sister wrote one too. Everyone lining up, smiling to write on his arms The way he smiled too.
This little boy had a way to be the center of every room No matter where. He was making everyone laugh. And he still will.
For E And his sisters too
Nothing could make me forget the importance Of him.
I watch as the sky turns red I watch as my brother fades into the flames. I can’t take it. I watch him burn with no way to stop it. I watch his eyes go blank.
I can’t tell if he’s really gone I’m too far away My vision is blocked by the crowd Who stare in awe At the boy Who they believe is a witch.
My motherly side of me Wants to be next to him. I want to save him I want him to be far from The smell of the burning Of wood And flesh It carves a hole through my heart.
I try to hold back the flood of tears As my face burns with Anger, Sadness, And Guilt Like my brother The only difference is I’m not actually burning But he is.
The crackling of the fire Fills the silence within the crowd I wish there was something to distract me I can’t take this mental torture any longer. I wish it was easier to look away from your last family member leaving you. But something stops you from looking away It’s like an uncontrollable force.
I stare at the fire Frozen in place. I don’t want to move Or even breath. I want time to freeze. So I can process what is happening. But still I stare. The ember illuminate his face in a fiery orange hue. I hate to see him like this. I hate to see my brother so lifeless in the flames.
He can’t die today I need my brother. He is all that I have.
My brother’s awaited death makes Me want to run And to scream. But I can’t I must watch in silence And abide the law.
But the laws are wrong The laws are killers of families and friend. The laws are the real killers. Not my brother.
Magic isn’t inherently wrong. Your born magical. You can’t help it It’s not his fault I know that if he could chose He would chose to have no magic. My brother isn’t an irredeemable monster. So Please Just let him go Why can’t this stop Why does it have to be like this Why does the law want to paint a harmless fourteen year old As a criminal When all he was, Was a Great brother.
The injustice floods my heart My heart pumps out uncontrollable anger I feel it coursing throughout my veins. With all the magic I have He will be taken far from here. So far that the burden of flames can’t follow.
I hate you And all that lives within you I remember your crimes I remember the fear that awakes within I remember the dead you stepped over And if you ask me You are Murderous
————
As the emperor, you are meant to lead an example. To have people wishing they could be more like you. You are not like that, You make people wish to stay as far away as possible. It doesn’t matter if it’s all in the past, But, Everyone can sense what you did to the people You cause Deathly problems. Everyone you have ever love is dead All because of you! No one to love you? Boo hoo You did it to yourself. Do you get that?
————
Is that not enough to show my hate? Fine I will show you more reasons why I hate you You are Two-faced
———
Your family trusted you They thought you could be trusted But then bam Destroyed On the floor Because they didn’t agree
You live in a kingdom of your own Design. No free speech Fear every waking moment. You make people who weren’t alive to see the deaths. Thankful For you They love you They don’t know the other side of you You locked that side away Just like you did to those who saw your true colors.
———————-
I know I’m on the verge of death at you hands My opinions are pointless Nothing will make you wake up from the delusion Nothing. So why not give you another reason? To try and make you see what’s wrong with you. You are a Lier
———————————
Your family saw you as pure Your not. You are quite the opposite.
Your sister your brother They cared You hated Then… You killed them.
You knew you wrong That’s why… You told the children fake history In order to stop rebellion. What rebellion? There was none Just your own petty fears. You told them that you are the hero A true hero But alas, You are the hero in your own made up story
We all know your the villain in the true story. You can’t hide your little white lies forever Can’t you?
————————
I’m practically dead so my opinions shouldn’t matter Not that you care I’m even standing in front of you Speaking your flaws As long as no one knows Right? As long as no one heard You’ll be fine Am I Right?
(Please give me feedback I really appreciate it and want to get better as writer)
“Today, April ninth, is the day this unholy witch shall burn!” A guard yelled these horrible words, making sure all of town square would have to hear. Dom and I stood far away from the stake. We hated being forced to attend these horrid events. “The witch was found long ago, doing evil things. In this kingdom we do not stand for evil, we stand for peace, and magic only brings chaos and anarchy. In our past the only thing that repeats itself is witches. Witches have always caused distress in the kingdom, but that is no more.” The guard finishes his speech. The guard held a torch in his hand, along with other guards on the stand. We stood silent as the flames erupted.
Dom and I kept our heads down, trying not to see the bloody massacre. Soon the crowd parted, I lifted up my head, for just one second, and I still cannot unseen the woman. She had deep brown hair, freckles covering her face, along with the ash and sweat. From what I could tell her body was covered in scars and scratches. Something about her was strangely familiar.
Soon the woman’s face disappeared into the cloud of fire. Smoke hung above our heads. I heard her screams as she was devoured by the flames. She screams out something, but I couldn’t understand. Dom seemed to know though. Her mouth was gaped open.
Her scream whispered throughout my mind, she sounded familiar as well. Perhaps I had heard her at the market?
I looked over, her face was red, and she was beginning to sweat. I want to say something, but I could be punished for such things. Dom held my hand tight. She hated these kinds of things, like most should, but not many do. Most people in this sick kingdom enjoy watching it, because they praise Lord Avalon for what he does.
I noticed some people from school looking back at us. They looked even more confused than me. I noticed Tommy, a friend from school, was looking back at us. Do you know her? He mouths, I shake my head. He turns his head back to the burning. I don’t understand his question.
“Today shall be a reminder to never disregard Lord Avalon, and you shall be reminded of the awful punishment given to those who go against the Lord's ways.” The guard shouted. The man seemed so devoted to his job that he was actually mad about the disrespect. But then again, one of the laws is to never disrespect Lord Avalon. “As we all know, magic has been illegal since 1609, The Day of Holiness, it seems that the witches cannot remember a simple fact. A fact that shall be remembered for hundreds of years from now, and until the end of time!”
“Anyone else know a witch? We are a few minutes early from when it is supposed to end. We have time for another.” He spat the words out of his mouth. Who knows where that woman had been from. She could have a family, she could have been forced to leave her children motherless. I can’t stand the thought of another child being put into the orphanage, just like I was.
The guard continued to taunt us, like they usually did. The guards always seemed to enjoy doing these horrid things. They are disgustingly evil. But then again, if someone was to know I had these opinions, I would be known as the evil child, just like a child who had died last year for sharing his opinions. I don’t remember his name, nor did I like him when he went to our school. He was rude to teachers, and he always had a foul mouth. I do, of course, feel bad. But he also didn’t understand our rules in the kingdom. Keep your opinions to yourself. It may not be a true rule, but it may as well be written on the rule boards plastered around the kingdom. From then on, everyone had fear whispering in their mind for hating this.
No one said anything, we all just stood uncomfortably waiting to leave. The last time someone had said anything, the ceremony became even more horrid, to say the least. It also lasted much longer than usual if you said anything.
I don’t remember my mother, but I do hold a grudge against her. She left me and Dom without a mother. Dropped us off at the orphanage, with a smile on her face, at least that is what the workers had told us. My father, from what they told me, was gone long before we were dropped off. I assume that my mother gave up because she couldn’t handle me and Dom without our father.
We stood there for several minutes, waiting to be dismissed from town square like usual. A headache started to burn through my head, and I wince. Dom looks at me confused, but doesn’t talk. We can’t talk unless spoken to at these events.
“You are dismissed!” A guard yelled. All of the guards seem to have the same deep angry voice, it was frustrating because you can’t tell who is talking behind the mask most of the time. Each guard wore the same exact thing as well, apart from a few badges. The guards at this event wore a formal black jacket with a tail. They wore pants with a belt that held a sword on their side. They also wore black work boots.
The whole crowd began to walk back to their homes. Dom walked in silence behind me. She looks over at me with fear in her eyes. She leaned in and whispered in my ears “She said our names.”